supercritical

adjective

su·​per·​crit·​i·​cal ˌsü-pər-ˈkri-ti-kəl How to pronounce supercritical (audio)
: being or having a temperature above a critical temperature
supercritical fluid

Examples of supercritical in a Sentence

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The location of the magma cap, which was later determined through modeling to be made of silicate melt and supercritical water bubbles within a porous rock, was first determined via a high-resolution seismic survey conducted by Schmandt. Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025 The researchers modeled various rock, melt and volatile conditions to determine what materials the magma cap consists of -- a mixture of silicate melt and supercritical water bubbles within porous rock. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 23 Apr. 2025 If the planet becomes cool enough and hydrogen and water separate early in its evolution, Gupta says a supercritical layer of water could form beneath the hydrogen atmosphere — thereby shedding new light on how planets with liquid water oceans could exist. Victoria Corless, Space.com, 9 Apr. 2025 It’s created by a process called supercritical foaming that combines heat, pressure, and liquid gas to infuse bubbles into elastic polymers like PEBA, TPEE, and ATPU. Jonathan Beverly, Outside Online, 21 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for supercritical

Word History

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of supercritical was in 1934

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Cite this Entry

“Supercritical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supercritical. Accessed 4 May. 2025.

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